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Monthly Archives: February 2019

I spent the afternoon cruising the aisles of this year’s ARTIST PROJECT Contemporary Art Fair taking place this weekend in the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place, Toronto. Thanks to Nancy Bennett for the comp ticket, I made a beeline for her booth #939 (I started at the back of the hall, saw her first, then worked back towards the front for an easy getaway!).

Here’s Nancy (at R), busy as always in her booth welcoming visitors including fellow artist Libby Sims (far L)……really liked her latest piece (above) titled Ferry Trails, inspired by the chilly waters of Lake Ontario in front of her downtown condo, with all the wake trails from the harbour ferries. Check out more of Nancy’s work at: www.nancybennett.ca

Further along the aisles, I stopped to admire the gorgeous photographs of the white horses of the Carmargue (France) by Robert Postma (below) See more of his herd at www.robertpostmaphotography.comIlinca Ghibu (below) brought an early spring to Toronto with her beautiful & delicate florals. www.ilincaghibu.comHere’s the delightfully quirky Zoey Zoric who is showcasing her “hands” series this year. www.zzfineart.comLast year, I purchased one of Mirek Bialy‘s stunning acrylic and copper works similar to those below, and this year he’s back with some new creations incorporating specially treated dried fruit & plants as well as pyramids. www.mirekbialy.comMark Gleberzon was busy chatting with booth visitors so I shot around him so as not to interrupt…I’ve been a longtime fan of Mark’s work, his sense of humour and the way he tweaks our artsy-fartsy sensibilities. Long live Barbie! www.mjggallery.comOpposite Mark’s booth, I wandered over and introduced myself to west coast artist Sherri Rogers whose colourful cityscapes feature street artists’ work. www.sherrirogers.com Another longtime fave of mine is Morgan Sheardown (below) who was busy chatting with visiting art students…he’s the perfect mentor as he’s achieved so much success thanks to his great marketing skills as well as artistic talents. www.morgansheardown.comEllen Cameron is another accomplished equine photographic artist – just look at these gorgeous portraits, you can almost hear them whinnying! www.ellencameron.comVictor Molev is adorable as well as talented…his unique surreal paintings bring out the childlike wonderment in all of us. He’s got an open house studio event March 16 (10am-5pm) in Richmond Hill so visit his website for details and to see more of his extraordinary work. www.victor-molev.pixels.comI made an instant new friend when I walked into Linda Simopoulos‘ booth. Such a warm, open and talented individual and boy, does she have a story to tell. Anyway, I fell in love with the piece below (second photo) and I hope to welcome it to its new home soon! If you go to the show, tell her I sent you and do check out her website: www.lindasimopoulos.comAnother new artist I discovered is Dalia Elcharbini whose work is more bling’d out than Cardi B!! Gold leaf adorns her large format portraits and if you look closely, you’ll marvel at the intricacy and sensitivity of her work. Tell her I sent you if you visit the show, and her website is: www.daliaelcharbini.com. (It may not be terribly PC to say so but she’s as cute as a button, too!).More fabulous photography, this time from Lori Ryerson (below) who has a solo show coming up in April at Urban Gallery (www.urbangallery.ca) in Toronto. Here Lori explores the beauty of remote locales such as these from Iceland. For more information, www.focalocity.ca My big discovery this year is Steven Hasegawa – this was his first time at the Artist Project but I’m sure it won’t be his last. This Japanese Canadian artist is inspired by the Samurai helmets and armour of ancient Japan, and his work really resonated with my own personal obsession with all things Japanese. His large format colourful paintings are quite extraordinary and I hope to interview Steven for my arts blog, FlyontheGalleryWall.ca soon. Visit his online gallery at: www.stevenhasegawa.art Finally, what’s an art expo without a visit to the booth of Kate Taylor?! Kate has an exciting new project coming up – to learn more, visit www.Creative-Adventures.ca In the meantime, you can view her work in person at the show or at: www.katetaylorstudio.com Lots more to see and experience so I encourage you to visit The Artist Project 2019.www.theartistproject.com@ArtistProjectTO

Every February, my inner gear-head starts twitching with excitement – it’s time for the annual Canadian International Auto Show! Yesterday’s Media Day offered intro’s to new manufacturers, new designs, new technology and teased us with gorgeous luxury vehicles few can afford…me included.

One of the first exhibits I visited was Ford where I made a beeline for the brand new Mustang Bullitt edition. Oh my, she was a beauty. One of my fave Steve McQueen movies was Bullitt and the stories about the fate of his original hunter green Mustang are legendary. I let my imagination run wild as I snapped away…Ford also had a NASCAR vehicle on display (Joey Logano’s car) plus a life-sized Lego racer (below)Check out the new Jaguar – what a stunner.And Acura unveiled its latest model (below)New model unveilings are always exciting for the automotive journalists and this crowd was super excited to watch Cadillac present its new SUV (below)

Then over to the other side of the hall to see Maserati. My fave colour is blue so of course I had to snap this moment as the boys played with these bright shiny new toys!Now for the BIG trucks – so nice to feel so “petite” when standing alongside these beauties.

There’s also a cool WWI/WWII display courtesy of www.TankMuseum.ca in the hallway of the South Bldg – definitely a must-see for the little soldier in all of us!

I always enjoy a stroll thru the vintage auto displays and this year’s exhibit didn’t disappoint – many were “cherry red” so it made for some great photo opps.Back over to the North Bldg of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and in the basement, you’ll find the exotics – the ultimate prizes for all car lovers. Aston Martins, Lotus and Stingrays oh my!Then I bumped into (literally) Brit car designer Mark Roberts of McLaren who kindly posed for a photo beside his creation, the McLaren Senna. Also located on the lower level of the North bldg is the Barrett Jackson collection of 60’s & 70’s muscle cars and they’re as sexy as all get-out! Don’t miss this display – if you’re like me and grew up in this era, fond memories will come flooding back…So if I’ve whetted your appetite for stunning autos, you have until Sunday Feb 24th to visit the annual exhibition of mega horse-power, style and technology. Tickets, directions and show info can be found at: www.autoshow.ca and if you have family members who prefer their driving to be stationary, there’s a big X-Box gaming area in the South bldg that should satisfy their needs/wants….…as well as other car-themed promotions…..and also a kiddie playland for the little ones. Have fun, drive carefully…